Happy Spooky Season! Join me tomorrow, on 4 October from 13:00-14:00 in a presentation about the Semi-Tropic Spiritualists, their tract, and the Semi-Tropic Park. If you need a brief introduction. The Semi-Tropic Spiritualists Association was an early 20th-century utopian and Spiritualist collective (essentially Victorian era hippies or ravers) that established a campground and community in … Continue reading The Semi-Tropic Spiritualist Association, with historian Eric Brightwell
Tag: Echo Park
Ask Silver Lake — If Silver Lake isn’t in the Eastside, Where is it?
This piece was originally written for โAsk Silver Lake.โ โAsk Silver Lakeโ is dedicated to exploring the history and insights of our community. If you have questions or ideas youโd like us to consider, please drop a comment or send them to outreach@silverlakenc.org. INTRODUCTION On 5 February 2014, the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council considered a motion … Continue reading Ask Silver Lake — If Silver Lake isn’t in the Eastside, Where is it?
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Nobody Drives in LA — The Ostrich Farm Railway
THE OSTRICH FARM RAILWAY Detail of Map of the City of Los Angeles, 1887, depicting the route of the Ostrich Farm Railway [Note: This essay was written for and originally appeared in the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council newsletter] Today Silver Lake is, by most accounts, moderately well served by mass transit. The website, Walk Score, … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — The Ostrich Farm Railway
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California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Elysian Heights
INTRODUCTION The other day I explored Elysian Heights, a small neighborhood in Mideast Los Angeles thatโs usually characterized as being part of Echo Park โ despite its having been subdivided before Echo Park was even constructed. It wasnโt exactly my typical California Foolโs Gold exploration but rather part of a group walk that I led … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Elysian Heights
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Nobody Drives In LA — Sunset4All
I think it was in 2019 that Terence Heuston (LA Bike Dad) approached me to discuss the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition's Sunset4All at one of that street's many coffee shops. He described to me the effort to reconfigure Sunset Boulevard -- one of Los Angeles's most iconic streets -- to make it safer, and … Continue reading Nobody Drives In LA — Sunset4All
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No Enclave — Cuban Los Angeles
As of 2018, Latinos comprised an estimated 47.7% of Los Angeles's population. 75% of Latino Angelenos were of Mexican ancestry. Salvadorans comprised about 8% of Latino Angelenos. Guatemaltecos comprised about 5% of the Latino Angeleno population. Los Angeles is, additionally, home to the largest populations of Mexicans, Salvadorans, and Guatemaltecos outside of their respective homelands. I'd … Continue reading No Enclave — Cuban Los Angeles
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Nobody Drives in LA — A Parking Lot Pothole Garden in Echo Park
The private automobile is the scourge of cities. In Los Angeles, on an average day, such cars injure or kill 39 Angelenos. They pollute air, land, and water -- except for the electric ones, which rely on child slave labor to mine the precious materials required for their batteries. Electric or smog-box alike, they all … Continue reading Nobody Drives in LA — A Parking Lot Pothole Garden in Echo Park
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Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography’s Map to 1650 Gallery
If you don't like, have, or know how to use GPS -- or you just prefer colorful, hand-scrawled maps -- here's a big scan of a map that I did for my upcoming art show at 1650 Gallery in Echo Park. Xย marks the spot! Feel free to download and print your own (just don't try … Continue reading Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography’s Map to 1650 Gallery
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California Fool’s Gold’s Guide to Los Angeles’s Revival Cinemas
No city on Earth is more closely associated with motion pictures than Los Angeles. 10% of all movie theaters in the entire country are located in California and Los Angeles County is home to over 100 of them. Although most of Los Angeles's theaters, like those throughout the country, showcase only the latest Hollywood product, … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold’s Guide to Los Angeles’s Revival Cinemas
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Urban Rambles: Walking South Central to Silver Lake
The other day I found myself visiting the northernmost corner of South Central on business. When I was done I decided not to hop on the next bus home, but rather to walk for at least a little bit. The rest of my day was wide open and it was pleasantly warm and sunny. I … Continue reading Urban Rambles: Walking South Central to Silver Lake
Eric Brightwell 